Charlotte Rampling and Michael Caine's Oscars Boycott Comments Prompt Further Racism Debate

Michael Caine and Charlotte Rampling are two of the most respected British actors working right now, so when controversy hits the Academy, their opinions are heard. Both of them were asked to comment about the recent Oscars boycott over racism and lack of diversity in the awards show, and what both of them had to say prompted even further discussion on the subject.

According to The Guardian, Rampling recently appeared on French Radio's Europe 1 and, as a current Oscar nominee for her work in 45 Years, she was asked to weigh in on the recent controversy. Her response? The boycott was "racist to whites," a comment that obviously prompted waves of discomfort and criticism against the iconic actress. She also pointed out that maybe "the black actors did not deserve to make the final list."

Similarly, two-time Oscar winner Caine said, that black actors needed to be "patient" to pack up on the Academy Awards, pointing out that he had to wait for years until finally grabbing the gold. Controversially, Caine also commented that "you can't vote for an actor because he's black," implying that perhaps there weren't good performances from minorities this year.

Of course, the two stars' reflections have prompted a larger discussion on the subject of diversity in film. For example, The Root calls the two actors out for being as white as they can get, and there has been public outcry for the two stars to be ignored when it comes to the debate.

In the meantime, Today reports that the Academy has finally spoken on the subject of this year's lack of diversity in the acting nominations ballot. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the current Academy president, recently said in a statement that the organization would be taking "historic action" when it comes to diversifying, saying they wouldn't wait around for the industry to catch up, adding new members to the Board of Governors to double the number of women and minorities by 2020.